Pot bust: Suburbs aren't immune

A Madison police officer helps remove marijuana plants from a home located at 405 Brentwood Drive on Monday after tips led law enforcement to discover an elaborate indoor greenhouse containing more than 160 of the plants.

Family, friends and colleagues expressed shock and disbelief Monday when a middle-class couple living in the city of Madison were arrested, accused of for manufacturing marijuana.

This was not simply an arrest involving four or five plants. This was an investigation that uncovered an elaborate indoor growing setup that netted more than 160 plants.

The indoor greenhouse and lab looked like a simple storage closet, but it had an air conditioner and an AC filtration system. Inside was a system of fluorescent lights and shelves where authorities say younger plants were grown in their various stages. The older plants, some of which were more than 4 feet tall, were kept deep inside the closet, warmed beneath a yellow fluorescent light.

The couple - Henry and Beverly Monroe - has a compelling story. They are the parents of four children, one of whom died tragically five years ago. Henry is a self-employed painter. Beverly is a nurse at River Oaks who coworkers say is selfless and loving. A photograph on Facebook shows a happy couple with their three children, all smiling, posing during a vacation.

In just about every way, they seem like your average, all-American family next door.

But they aren't. Certainly, the children - two of whom were living with them as recently as this year - have nothing to do with the case. Authorities say Henry is the brains of the operation, his wife a willing participant.

This also is not Henry Monroe's first arrest on drug charges. While the specifics have not been released, District Attorney Michael Guest said he is aware of the previous arrest.

During the Monroes' bail hearing, Henry Monroe said that the marijuana was for medicinal purposes. Even if that were believable, it is irrelevant. It has no bearing in Mississippi.

Manufacturing is a felony, and possession of that large of an amount is a felony as well.

The couple faces 30 years each.

The shock of this story ranged from the length of a possible jail term, the sympathy and surprise from family and friends, and the fact that it made such headlines in the first place.

The possible prison time does seem excessive, but the reaction to it is the least telling piece of this sad story.

What is most telling is that so many people who knew this couple were shocked by their arrests and the discovery police made at their home.

Equally as telling is the reaction to this being such big news. Had the headline read, "Jackson couple arrested for drugs," few people would have questioned the attention the story garnered.

But this story shatters preconceived notions - both personal ones of those who knew the family and public ones of those who view different regions of the metro area through a pre-defined lens.

What Henry and Beverly Monroe's story reminds us is that we rarely know a person's deepest secrets, nor do we know what a person is capable of doing.

If we were able to look at a person and say, "He's a drug dealer" or "She's a murderer," then police work would be a lot simpler.

But we cannot.

Nor can we simply say, "Drugs are not a problem outside Jackson." Because drugs are indeed a problem outside Jackson. No area is immune to the scourge of illegal narcotics or the illegal use of prescription drugs.

In fact, some of the largest drug busts in recent years have taken place outside Jackson.

Certainly, there are more reports of misdemeanor drug arrests in the Capital City than in other Hinds County municipalities or in Rankin and Madison counties. Part of that is simply because of population, while part of it is admittedly a higher percentage of drug arrests per capita.

But do not be fooled into thinking that the suburbs are immune from the toxicity of drugs. They are not. Neither are our college campuses, our rural counties and our quaint small towns.

Also, it does not matter whether a person is middle class, the richest in the area or impoverished. Drugs can still ruin their lives.

Those things that lead a person- or a couple - down the dark path of drug addiction are vast and varied.

At the end of this story, those of us who are not involved must learn two important lessons.

First, we never know what a person is going through. If we care for someone, we should always take time to reach out to them when they show signs that something in their life has changed.

Second, do not pretend that it could never happen in your county, in your city, in your neighborhood, on your street or even in your home.